


some things you just can't refuse

by prettysky



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, F/F, Fluff, It's very cheesy but in a cute way? I hope, Maggie and Winn brotp, Sanvers Summer Crush 2019, Some deep stuff, Trans Winn Schott Jr.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:58:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettysky/pseuds/prettysky
Summary: Maggie, a literature teacher at National city best elementary school, has a summer crush. But unfortunately, it's the new science teacher who just moved in from Metropolis, and just happens to need her personal guidness because of some stupid protocol. Would she be able to make sure falling in love with Alex won't make her suffer?One thing is for sure- she can try.orThe teacher\teacher AU ell (and me) wanted to badly





	some things you just can't refuse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [virgoasc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/virgoasc/gifts).



The photocopier started blaring, and Maggie lifted her head from the papers she was reading. Red lights flickered and she sighed, putting the papers on the chair next to her.

"Every single time," she murmured, opening the lid of the machine and finding a paper jammed between the wheels. Some careful attempts to take it out later, and she held the crumpled paper in her hand, breathing a sigh of relief. She closed the lid of the machine, returning to her papers.

It was the last week of school, and Maggie, a literature teacher at Horace Green Elementary School, couldn’t be happier about the end of the year. Of course, she loved the kids, the subject she taught, being a teacher in general... but everyone needed a vacation. The papers she printed were book lists for the summer vacation that she planned on giving the children so they would continue to read a little on the summer. She doubted that any of them would even read anything on the list, but hoped it would at least prompt them to.

"Miss Sawyer?"

Maggie turned. A short, messed hairy boy came up to her, his cheeks flushed.

"Yes, Billy?"

He smiled at her sweetly. "Principal Luther asked me to call you."

She patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Bill, I'll be right there."

He ran off and she picked up the papers from the photocopier, packing them in her bag. She walked just a few doors down the hall to the principal's office, her bag on her shoulder.

Principal Luther had the perfect combination of toughness and gentleness. She worked hard to make the school a place where children could develop and grow, and knew how to do her job appropriately. Thanks to her, the school worked properly, and it always seemed to Maggie like a well-oiled machine. Lena was a great believer in shaping young souls, in improving the next generation for the future, in discipline, and she did everything with a smile, pleasantly, in an atmosphere that made Maggie happy she’s working in this place.

She knocked on the white door, waiting for a voice to call her in. When she heard, she opened the door, looking inside.

Principal Luther sat at her desk, writing something on a piece of paper. On the other side of the table sat a young woman, about Maggie's age, and their eyes crossed at once. Maggie noted beautiful features, as well as biting on the lip that indicated stress, and an upright, stiff posture. Maggie nodded, and the woman did the same. Lena raised her head.

"Miss Sawyer, I'm glad you're here, you can sit down. This is Alex, Alex Danvers." Lena gestured at the woman, who was quick to shake hands with Maggie, nodding again. Alex’s smile was tense, and she swallowed anxiously.

Lena put her pen aside, looking at Maggie, who sat down. "Miss Danvers will join our teaching staff next year. She’ll replace Miss Willis who’s moving to Philadelphia."

"Science?" Maggie looked from Lena to Alex. Alex nodded, her tense smile becoming more relaxed.

"Nice." Said Maggie, smiling back at her. "Welcome to the team."

"Thanks," Alex's voice was quiet but steady.

"Miss Sawyer, I'm not sure you are aware of the protocol, since it has only been introduced in recent years, but as part of the smooth entry to the school we want to give every new teacher, we require a minimum of guidance hours before entering work. Some kind of crash course, delivered by one of the faculty members. " Lena put her hand on the table in front of her as she paused, examining Maggie.

Maggie nodded slowly, confused.

"Miss Danvers will need personal instruction," she tasted. "I need you to give her guidance."

Maggie's eyebrows jumped up. "Me?"

"Definitely."

"Miss Luthor, I've been working at this school for only five years, I- I’m..."

"Exactly the right woman for the job. Miss Danvers moved here from another school in Metropolis where she taught a similar period like you, and you have a lot in common, which will make it easier for Miss Danvers to acclimate. For the entire summer vacation, you two will get through the protocol. The study material is, of course, irrelevant, the purpose of the meetings is to help Miss Danvers to get into the work at school smoothly. " She looked earnestly between the two of them. "Is that clear?"

Maggie wanted to protest. Her precious summer vacation, which she dreamed of for weeks, even months, was about to be filled with work stuff. All she wanted was to take some time for herself, to drink some drinks, have some rest, maybe change her apartment setting or built something nice, until she had to go back to school. She sighed slightly, looking between Alex, who was sitting up, waiting for Maggie's response, and Lena, who was staring up at her.

"Isn’t it possible to go over the whole protocol at once? Does it have to be done throughout the whole vacation?"

"I'm sorry, that won’t be possible. Miss Danvers has more meetings to be held between these meetings, so separate meetings will be required." Lena leaned forward, sympathetic look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Maggie, the protocol-"

"No, that's fine, of course." She respected Lena. She was a loyal manager, and she knew she would listen to Maggie and do whatever Maggie would need from her when necessary. The least she could do was to return the favor.

"Obviously, you will receive benefits in exchange for this guiding, but this requires filling the hours fully." Lena nodded. "I'll email you two the program and you can start as early as next week."

Maggie smiled, nodding. "Of course, Miss Luther."

"Very well, you're free to go. Miss Danvers, stay."

Maggie stood up, putting her bag strap back on her shoulder. Behind her, Lena's phone rang and she answered, talking quickly.

"Wait."

Maggie turned, her gaze met Alex's, rising after her. She went over to her, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay-"

"No, I mean, I understand that. Nobody likes to work on vacation." She shrugged. "It's a new protocol, I wasn’t aware of it either." She stole a glance at Lena, who was still in the middle of a conversation. "I hope we can get it done smoothly."

"Me too," Maggie found herself smiling at her. They shook hands again, and Alex pulled out her phone.

"Can I have your number?"

Maggie stopped herself from chuckling. She can’t remember the last time a girl asked for her number. Bars, clubs, the dating scene, all this had been far light years away from her since she began teaching. Alex was a woman who she could easily meet at a time when she was looking for one night stands or girlfriends that lasted weeks at best, but the situation wasn’t exactly... appropriate. Like a puzzle piece that entered a place not to it, but the colors are similar enough for it to be left there. She tightened her jaw, trying to shake the thought of Alex as something more than a colleague from her mind. It's absolutely not what she needs.

They exchanged numbers quickly, and Alex nodded last. "We’ll be in touch."

"Sure."

She turned to go out the last time, wondering how her summer vacation is going to be, with this woman on the fringes, in the background, all the time.

*

"I- I can’t… can you-" Winn struggled with the bottle opener that was stuck in the bottle, handing it to Maggie. Maggie rolled her eyes at him, taking the bottle. The cork came out in a loud pop and she put the bottle down on the table, turning back to her vegetable pan.

"I could have done it a week ago," he claimed. She hid a smile, mixing the vegetables.

"Okay, Schott."

"Really! I'm getting weaker, it's the heat, I’m-"

"I know." she said. They both knew very well that Maggie was regularly exercising at the gym, and Winn, the IT guy at a large media company and a total geek, didn’t quite find the time or the desire to lift weights.

None of them really knew how to point out the moment when they became friends. They came from completely different backgrounds, and still similar enough to find common ground. She’s a lesbian teacher who moved to the big city from the south only five years ago. He’s a computer nerd who has lived in the city all his life, and after coming out as a trans man, lost many of his friends and family. None of them had someone who stayed close after so many changes in their lives, but perhaps that’s what brought them closer, making them better friends than they could have been without the circumstances. They met at least once or twice a week for a dinner or a drink, and without ever talking about labels, they simply knew that they were best friends. It's as if since Maggie moved to National City, Winn has always been there, showing her around, explaining about politics and sports, making sure she buys at the cheapest and best markets. She cherished him and kept him close, and somehow, she knew he was the kind of person who would make a good friend, right from the beginning.

"How did the summer vacation started?"

"Alright." Maggie chewed on her cabbage. "Another successful year is over. I’m thankful I can work at this school."

"Why?"

"Just stories about other schools with undisciplined students, bothersome parents..." She shrugged. "I can’t say our school is perfect, but I feel like I’m making a true difference with the children, that this school allows me to do my job as a teacher, a teacher who does what she needs, and to be honest, it’s exactly what I’m here for."

"That's great, Maggie!" He smiled at her, and immediately sighed, turning back to his plate. "I wish I could say the same thing about my job. Miss Grant doesn’t even remember my name properly, and all I do is to fix malfunctions in everyone’s email all day. I don’t understand why they even keep me there."

"You're far too talented to work for a simple media company."

"Oh, I know, the injustice in this world."

They both laughed, clinking their glasses of wine.

"To satisfaction at the job!" Winn called desperately.

"To creating change in the world." She smiled.

"Woah, chill, it's just an ordinary Tuesday."

She winked at him, taking a sip.

They finished eating, and Maggie got up and pulled a small tray out of the fridge with two small bowls filled with chocolate mousse.

"The fridge," he said, slapping the table. "I forgot about that."

"You'll never find my dessert before I'm taking it out, just admit it."

"One day it’ll happen," he mumbled, his eyes fixed on his dessert. "Now give it to me."

They ate in pleasant silence, enjoying the sweet cream.

"There's someone... new," Maggie said quietly, still not sure why she was even raising the subject. "She's a new teacher at school, she's starting next year."

She stopped eating, and so did Winn, waiting for her to continue.

"Miss Luther has given me an assignment, to help her in. It's not just to take her on a tour at the school, there's a new protocol. I have to have these two-hour-meetings with her every week for the rest of the summer and help her through this protocol."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"Okay, I guess. I've gone through the protocol, it's not simple, and we'll really need all this time, but..."

"But?"

"It's going to take my whole summer - I mean, I can’t go on vacation or rest entirely from work. It’s gonna be up in my head the whole time.”

"But why is that a problem?"

Maggie shrugged, digging with the spoon at the bottom of her bowl. Why is this a problem, really? Why does it bother her so much? It's not that she was planning to go on a real vacation or that she hated her job so much she couldn’t keep doing it over the summer. There's something.... else here.

And deep down, even if she wasn’t yet ready to admit it, she knew what the real question she had to ask. From the moment she left Lena's office, Alex Danvers hadn’t left her thoughts. Maggie knew it would soon become a burden, so the real question is, why this woman hasn’t left her mind ever since she first saw her?

Are you sure it's still about work?

"Of course it's still about work, what else could it be?"

"What?"

Maggie raised her head, surprised that she said that aloud. She shook her head. "That's... not a problem, it's just that..." She tried to find words. "I wanted to rest on my vacation. The whole summer vacation meant for me to recover from the year’s work and to gather strength for next year."

A bad excuse. She didn't know what else to say.

Winn tilted his head to the side, a habit he had learned from her. "Why do I feel it's not entirely that?"

She looked back at her bowl. Maybe it's not a good time to talk about it. Before she knows exactly what bothers her so much about the new teacher, or the fact that her vacation is spiced with work, or anything else related to one of them.

"Let's leave it, okay?"

Winn licked his spoon, his bowl empty. "Okay." He said, trying to catch her eye. "But you know you can always come to me, whatever it is."

"Thanks, man."

"Very good. So, what are we watching?"

*

Maggie was absorbed in her coffee cup, her eyes closed, as Alex entered the teachers' lounge. She didn’t notice her, and the sound of the chair dragging when Alex set down next to her woke Maggie from her deep thoughts. She put the glass on the table.

"Hey."

"Hi," Alex smiled at her, putting her bag on the table. "I didn’t want to disturb you. You seemed to be deep in that cup of coffee."

"It's okay, I just need my time to drink my coffee."

"Oh, then, take your time." Alex continued to smile, pulling out a stack of pages from her bag.

Maggie picked up the glass again, taking a sip while she studied Alex, who was leafing through the pages in front of her. There was still a trace of a smile on her face, though she didn’t look at anyone.

"Are you, uh-" Maggie stammered, not sure what she was trying to say, and Alex raised her head again, her smile widening, asking.

"Do you live far away?" She finally asked.

"Actually, I found an apartment just a few blocks away from here."

"When did you move in?"

"A month ago. I submitted my resume to almost all the schools in the area, and Miss Luther hired me almost immediately. Our needs met, fortunately, and I managed to find a pretty close apartment." Alex nodded. That smile again.

Maggie could not lie to herself; a smiling woman was always a great thing to look at, but something about Alex, with which she had talked for perhaps ten minutes up until now, didn’t seem sincere all the way. Not because she looked hypocrite or something, but as if she was... stretching the edges of her mouth deliberately, trying to force herself to smile. Maggie didn’t know her very good, but she didn’t feel comfortable with that smile. Something in Alex didn’t feel as calm as she tried to present.

The inexplicable need to reassure Alex arose in Maggie. To put her hand on her arm, to assure her that everything would be alright, that she can let go, that she expected nothing from her. That she can take it easy.

"In fact, my sister lives here in the city. She's one of the reasons I've been looking for work here."

"What was wrong with Metropolis?"

Alex's smile, suddenly, strained to stay lit. "Nothing," she said. "I was just looking for a, uh, change."

Maggie nodded. She understood, or at least figured, everything now.

She put her palm carefully on Alex's arm. "You look like a great person, Alex." She said, her look is as soft as possible. "I don’t know what you went through or... or what you're looking for, but you know you can always come to me, no matter what." The tips of her lips rose a bit. “I’m here for whatever you need.”

Alex's eyes froze, and Maggie could see the cleft of her throat rising and falling, her lips no longer strained with a smile.

"I'm sorry if-"

"No, no, it's... it's actually very sweet of you." Alex chuckled to ease the tension, sighing. "I... I'll remember that, thank you."

Maggie nodded again. "And you don’t have to smile if you don’t want to. I mean, I don’t know how you usually do, but, just- uh..." Maggie gestured, her cheeks turning red when she spoke of Alex's smile. "Not that I say you don’t have a great smile, that is, I mean-" She closed her eyes, exhaling.

Alex patted her hand, chuckling. "Thanks."

Maggie nodded, finishing her coffee to hide her face as she tried to cool down. She doesn’t know if it went well or not, but after all, they're here for a reason, and they should get started.

The meeting went well. Alex, after Maggie's comment, seemed much more relaxed, asked questions in the right places, listened to explanations, and wrote to herself in a notepad she brought in. The conversation flowed quickly, and it seemed to Maggie that the atmosphere was becoming more and more comfortable. Anecdotes found themselves part of the conversation, the seating softened; leaning backward and legs spreading forward, and even a laugh or two were heard in the background from time to time. A listener from the outside for a few minutes would have thought there was nothing in the conversation to suggest a work environment. An hour and a half later, they were almost finished.

"Well, I think we've got two more pages left for today. It shouldn’t take long." She lifted her head, putting down the pages. "I feel like I need more coffee. Want some?"

"Yeah, thank you," Alex was still busy making notes, and seemed sunken when Maggie came back with two steaming glasses. She had a feverish look on her face as she wrote quickly. Maggie concentrated on her coffee cup, letting Alex finish.

"Oh, thanks," Alex put down her pen with a sigh. "I..." She closed her eyes, probably trying to make a logical sentence come out of her mouth. "I'm just trying to start this year in a good way."

"And you will." Maggie smiled at her. "You look like you're hardworking, industrious, ambitious... qualities that are binding on those who want to succeed. You’ll be just fine, I promise”

"Thank you," Alex nodded, taking her coffee cup. "I have to admit, this school impresses me."

"Well, every institution has its pros and cons."

"There’s no perfect school, of course, but the work environment is what sets the tone for the employee's behavior, and as a teacher, you know, I would like a supportive work environment to reach my goals, my intentions. Sometimes when I teach," suddenly a light sparked in her eyes, and Maggie felt something in her heart stirred slightly as she looked at her. "I feel that I’m making a real difference with the children, and... well, to be honest, isn’t it-”

"Exactly what we're here for?" Maggie murmured, just as Alex said the same words. They exchanged a look, Alex's mouth opened with a smile.

"Yeah," she said, taking another sip from her coffee. Maggie looked at her, gently shaking her head. It didn’t take her long, an hour and a half to be precise, to understand that Alex was an amazing woman, talented, diligent... If she looked deep, that was the list of everything Maggie could hope for in a woman. And now it was clear to her that they shared exactly the same passion for teaching, which Maggie, clearly and strongly, longed to deepen in conversation, right here and now.

Suddenly she realized that it didn’t matter what they were talking about, she wanted to talk with her, right here and now, about anything. Alex turned her hair away, unaware of Maggie's heart that was beating harder with every second.

"Alright, let’s get this over with."

Maggie put down her coffee, clearing her throat. "Of course."

*

"Maggie, you can’t be serious."

Maggie pressed aggressively on her game console, her eyes fixed on the screen. "That does not help."

"Can I say that I kinda knew it?"

"You can’t say anything, keep playing before I slaughter you."

Winn's impact gauge dropped strikingly while his mind was distracted. He frowned, pressing a few keys to restore his dignity. They played for a few minutes in silence, only cheers and disdain calls for the characters on the screen were heard. Maggie almost didn’t want the game to end. She told Winn about Alex during the game so she wouldn’t have to look at his face, but she knew that once one of them will win, they would have to talk about it.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell Winn after all.

"You had a chance to win right now! Idiot," Winn scoffed as his character escaped on the screen. Maggie continued cautiously. If she plays well, they can play long enough for Winn to forget what she said.

“Boo-ya! A bomb,” Winn looked pleased with himself when he dropped the bomb on Maggie, and on the screen, Winn's name appeared in large, glowing letters, declared triumphant. He threw his console aside, a smug look on his face.

"What do you want?" She said, rolling her eyes. He shrugged.

"First of all, I can’t believe you haven’t ordered a pizza yet."

"I’m not hungr-"

"Second, I want to know all about the mysterious teacher from Metropolis."

"There's nothing to know!"

"Not even about the fact that you spent two hours with her and you're already in love with her?"

Maggie stood up, sulking. "I'm not in love with her."

"Okay."

She walked to the fridge, taking out took two bottles of beer.

"Hey, when's your next meeting?"

"In two days." She glanced at him over the refrigerator door, her eyebrow raised suspiciously.

He didn’t look at her, but she could see the smug smile still on his face. She sighed, walking back to the sofa with the bottles.

"Winslow."

"Margarita."

She sat down on the sofa beside him with a huff, and he looked at her, his look softer, listening. She was silent, looking into his eyes. She knew she couldn’t lie to her best friend.

"I haven’t had a girlfriend in a long... long time."

Winn nodded, twisting his mouth sympathetically.

"And now, you know, she... She sat with me for a while and I was just, she was so sweet, and professional, even kinda funny." Maggie covered her face with her hands. "I sound like a fucking cliche."

"You're not! I mean, a little, but Maggie - that's great!"

"That’s not great at all. There are so many obstacles in this way."

"Name one."

"I don’t know if she's a lesbian, emotionally available, attracted to me, and what's even the protocol about staff members going out with each other..." She counted on her fingers. "Go on?"

He sighed. "Well, it really does sounds like a hurdle route."

Maggie took a large, sad sip from her bottle, closing her eyes.

"Want to tell me about her?" She heard a smile in his voice, unable to stop herself from smiling back as Alex's face rose in her mind's eye.

"I hardly know her!"

“And yes, you smiled. That means you know a thing or two. "

Maggie lowered her head, looking at the bottle in her hands. "She's pretty. She has these little freckles on her nose, and cute wrinkles next to her eyes when she smiles. A real smile, I mean. At first she smiled like she was forced to, but I told her she could let go-”

"Wait, what did you tell her?"

"She looked nervous, like she was trying to satisfy me, to show me she was... someone else, someone, maybe better?" Maggie thought for a moment. "I feel that maybe she had the need to show the world a side that wasn’t really her, just to be accepted. I don’t know, I just felt she might need a push in the right direction. To be who she really is, to feel better with herself."

"So what did she do?"

"She really did calm down." Maggie smiled as she remembered. "By the end of the meeting she seemed much more relaxed."

"That's great! it means you two connected." Winn pushed her shoulder slightly, and she felt her cheeks redden.

"It's very early to say that there's something there. Who knows, maybe next time I'll find her completely unattractive, stupid and irresponsible?"

"I doubt it," Winn grinned. He sipped his bottle, leaning his head on her shoulder. She decided not to answer, as to not make herself think about it anymore.

"And what about you, sir? any pretty girls who've been making you crazy lately?"

He groaned. "Only one."

"Still stuck on that Kara?"

He shook his head. "You don’t understand. She's the one for me."

"The one you've been trying to catch for over a year? The one who sees you as a friend and nothing more, the one you give dating with other people tips to? That one?”

"She’s the only one who-"

"I've heard all these things a million times, Winn." She put a hand on his knee. "I don’t want you to get hurt."

"I've already got hurt. I’ve been hit by Cupid's arrow. Pow!” He directed a dramatic fall on Maggie's knees, holding his chest. "Help!"

She rolled her eyes. "I really need to sign you up for a dating app."

"A trans guy looking for a someone who loves video games and knows all the Star Wars movies by heart." He stood up, sighing. "That will go well."

"There are six million people in this city, Winn." She patted him on the shoulder, taking her console off the table. "One of them is for you, I know that."

"Thanks, Mags." He picked up his console, and they clicked their consoles with each other.

"The loser pays for the pizza!"

"Why don’t you order it first?"

*

In the weeks that followed, Maggie and Alex continued to meet. Every week, for two hours they sat in the empty teacher's lounge, in the quiet school (except for cleaners and handymen) and did their job. With each session, Maggie noticed more and more things about Alex- her scent, always stays the same, or her confused face when she didn’t understand something, and was so sweet that it always made Maggie smile in secret. There was always something that distracted Maggie from the pages in front of them, that planted her in her place, that made her heart pound.

She found herself waiting for these meetings. She went to bed early the night before so she’ll get up refreshed, chose her clothes carefully, looking at herself in the mirror a few extra moments before she leaves. Alex's existence in her life excited her, shook her, made her think deeper about things she never really used to, like her future or her self-worth. She had been in love several times in her life, but she never felt it so deeply.

It made her doubt so many things, think twice before simple steps. Her mind worked overtime while she digested the whole thing. Being into someone can be so tiring.

Meeting after meeting after meeting passed, and they began to talk about things that weren’t about work more often. Several times they even went beyond the limits of the two hours, and found themselves sitting and chatting long after they had finished, drinking coffee or eating sweets. There was something pleasant about talking to Alex- not phony or hypocritical, as used to be sometimes with other people. Amazingly, she didn’t even feel the need to impress Alex. Just talking to her was enough to feel strangely complete. They talked about everything; about life, about culture, even about science and literature, and what was interesting enough about these subjects for them to teach. And, of course, about education. Alex spoke of education with such joy, passion, her eyes sparkling, in the same way that Maggie always saw herself talking about education. The need to design a new generation, and how children need a good guide to lead them in the right way, and how worthy it is to be such a person.

Maggie found herself speechless, over and over again, in front of Alex's face whenever she managed to amaze her. According to her count, it happened more than a few times in the meeting.

"Wow, that was long," Alex sighed as they finished, closing the thick booklet. She leaned back and rubbed her eyes while Maggie took the last sips of her second coffee. It was their fifth and longest meeting so far. They have been sitting in the teachers' lounge for over three hours, after long, unneeded discussions about pretty much everything. None of them, however, seemed disturbed by the passing of hours; the enjoyment of each other's company became routine, normal, legitimate.

Maggie glanced at her watch. She and Winn were supposed to have dinner at her house, and she promised to cook. If she won’t leave in the next hour, she wouldn’t be able to go through the store to buy groceries.

"I think I need more coffee. You want some too?"

On the other hand, nothing will happen if she’ll be late a bit.

"Yeah, sure."

Alex sat next to her a few minutes later with their two glasses, while Maggie texted Winn. She put down her phone, taking the coffee cup with a grateful smile.

"What was that?"

Maggie shook her head dismissively. "Nothing, I just text my friend. Told him I might be late for dinner."

Alex looked surprised. "Oh, I’m... sorry, I didn’t mean-"

"No, it's alright," Maggie hastened to reassure her. "I like to sit with you and talk."

"More than your friend?" Alex raised an amused eyebrow over her coffee cup.

"He'll be alright," Maggie smiled again, sipping her coffee.

Alex looked down, a shy, sweet smile on her face. The need to reach out, to put her hand on Alex’s shoulder or arm, woke up in Maggie. She stopped herself, coughing. The feeling nestled in her stomach, something longing, wishing, to be as close to this woman as possible, even more than she was now. It seemed that in time, she learned her more and more, and with the deepening of the bond, Maggie's desire to stay close to her deepened as well.

"Frankly, I have to go out myself soon. I’m having dinner with my sister."

"The sister," Maggie leaned back. "You told me you had a sister here, but you never talked too much about her. What’s her name? Maybe I know her."

"You probably don’t. She's a simple assistant at this big media company, she doesn’t spend much time outside, really. Which is a shame because she's so friendly..."

"Wait a minute, what company?"

"Catco," Alex raised an eyebrow at Maggie's stunned face. "Why?"

"Don’t tell me her name is Kara..."

"Yes, that's her name!" Alex looked even more surprised. "You know her?"

Maggie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, then let out a giggle. "My friend? The one I'm late for dinner with? He's been in love with her for years. They're very good friends and-"

"Hold up." Alex stopped her, hand up in the air. "You're friends with Winn Schott?"

"I am." Maggie shook her head. "I suppose you're not going to tell me your sister has a crush on him?"

"Oh, no, absolutely not," Alex shook her head. "They're just very good friends."

"Co-workers," Maggie emphasized. "She sees him as a friend, a brother, and he can’t get her to understand that he wants more, or to ask her to go out with him. It’s probably going to end up in a disaster.”

Alex took another sip of her coffee. "That’s heavy. I mean, Kara’s not into him at all. She's into some other girl, a lawyer or a counselor at their company or something like that-"

"Your sister’s a lesbian?" Maggie's heart began to thump, and not in a good way. What are the chances that two sisters will be lesbians?

"She’s bisexual." Said Alex. "But I am a lesbian."

Maggie's face started to burn. "Oh," was all she could say, nodding as normally as she could, until her mind could free itself of this news.

One hurdle, out.

"In any case, Kara was into this guy from the design department, a photographer, and then he got pretty disgusting and she got sick of him, and this lawyer woman is new, Kara’s really into her. I'm pretty sure they even went out for coffee once but I’m- "

"Do you want to have dinner with me?"

Alex stopped in mid-speech, her mouth still open. "Huh?"

"With me and Winn, I mean." It wasn’t what she meant, but something made her ejaculate the first thing that came to her mind, something that could save her from the embarrassment that enveloped her after trying to do something that would have embarrassed her.

“You and Kara. have dinner with me and Winn. If they're friends, it can go well."

Alex squinted for a few moments, thinking. "You know what, I think you're right."

Maggie patted the table with a smile. "Tonight? You two planned to eat together, just come over to my place."

"Deal." Alex nodded, smiling too. "Let me call Kara."

Alex left the room to call, and Maggie picked up her phone, looking at it.

"I'm sorry, Winn," she said quietly, dialing his number.

*

"I can’t believe you're making me do this."

"I thought you were friends!"

Winn sighed, mixing the pasta a little aggressively. "You know it's not it."

Maggie added some spices to the stew on the gas. Kara and Alex were sitting on the couch, chatting, while Winn helped her with dinner. The look on his face was tormented as he attacked the pasta.

"Hey, hey- stop it." She took the applicator from him. "Either you do it gently, or you go there to talk to them."

"I can do it." He snatched the applicator back, mixing more gently. "I just don’t understand-"

"Okay, stop. Bedroom, now."

She turned off the gas, pushing him toward her bedroom. They passed through the living room, and she gave a big, polite smile to the Danvers sisters.

"Small emergency, we’ll be right back.”

The look on Alex's face was confused, but Kara got up immediately. "Winn? Is everything okay?"

"Everything’s great, it will take a few moments." Maggie quickly disappeared into the room with Winn, closing the door. She turned to him, finding him standing in a sullen face, the pasta bowl still in his hands.

"Okay, listen, Th- What... why did you bring it here?"

"I eat when I'm stressed," he said, picking up a fork that had found its way into the bowl. Maggie rolled her eyes, clutching his shoulders as he chewed nervously.

“We’re both in a very risky situation. We’re about to have dinner with two very beautiful sisters that we both have a serious crush on. It’s dangerous, but there is something important that we have to remember. " She looked into his eyes, as serious as possible.

"There are times when our... soul, is so thirsty for someone, anyone, to be close to us. We need this connection, as people. It's human, it’s normal, and it's okay. Sometimes, our soul just radiates this need on someone we know or see. It can be a good friend, it could be just someone we met on the street, someone we've known for a long time, or someone we just met, and we just start spending time with them. " She took a deep breath. "Our soul doesn’t always know what's good for it. The thing we feel? it can be a fraud, a false feeling, everything to try and feel loved by someone. Your brain will do anything to convince you that you're in love."

"But it's real! I love h-"

"I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying there's a chance you threw yourself into thinking you're in love with her, when all you want is just someone, anyone." She rubbed his shoulder gently. "What I'm saying is that once you find someone who can feel close to and loved by, there's a chance you'll forget about her right away. Because you weren't really in love with her, you just had to feel it for someone."

His eyes shone, wet. "I don’t-"

"Don’t answer me, we don’t have time for that now, they're waiting for us outside. All I'm saying is you have to try, at least for tonight, to feel and act like Kara's best friend, and nothing more. You have to try and let it go.”

He looked down at the pasta, shivering. She took the bowl from his hand, set it aside, and wrapped him in a hug. He continued to tremble into her shoulder, and she stroked his back gently.

"It's so hard, Maggie..."

"I know," she murmured, kissing his head.

"What about you?" He asked, his voice muffled. She sighed again.

"It's possible that all I need is someone to feel close to, and that need erupted as soon as I met Alex. Maybe I'm nothing to her, and it's okay, she really might not be right for me. And that's alright. The important thing is," She stopped, pushing him away so she could look into his eyes. "That we can find someone who loves us just as we do, so we won’t go through all this life with a broken heart."

He nodded, wiping his eyes. She stroked his cheek, smiling softly.

"I'm glad you're my friend, Winn."

"I'm glad you're mine," he said quietly. She hugged him again for a few more seconds and let go.

"Now go clean up, take a deep breath, and go out to have dinner with three gorgeous girls."

He snickered wetly, and she left the room.

Dinner passed peacefully enough. Winn managed to behave as normally as possible, as did Maggie. The conversation flowed pleasantly, and before they noticed, the dessert was finished, and Kara yawned longly, putting down her fork.

"Wow, Maggie, everything was so delicious," she said, leaning back.

"Thanks, my pleasure," Maggie smiled politely, taking the final bite of her dessert plate. Alex got up, gathering the empty plates into the pile, and Maggie hurried to swallow, rising in protest.

"What are you doing? Sit down, I'll take it-"

"No, I insist, please-"

Maggie took the plates from her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "No, I insist. You’re my guest-"

"Maggie-"

"Sit." Maggie walked to the kitchen, carrying the plates in her hand. She put them in the sink and turned on the tap.

"Does anyone want anything to drink?" She called, her back to the living room.

"Anything alcoholic would be nice," Alex appeared behind her, carrying another pile of dishes from the table. Maggie looked at her reproachfully, taking them from her hands.

"Alex-"

"No, I still insist." Alex smiled at her, and Maggie couldn’t help but melt away. "Let me help."

"Okay, then." Maggie turned, continuing to wash the dishes. "You can wipe dry the clean plates."

Alex stood beside her, taking a clean kitchen towel. Maggie washed the dishes in silence, passing them one after the other to Alex, who wiped them carefully, placing them in a heap. She could hear the voices and the laughter of Winn and Kara from the table.

"I hope you didn’t tell Kara-"

"I didn’t say anything."

Maggie nodded. "Thanks."

"Of course. That would be inappropriate anyway, and Winn will tell her whenever he wants."

"I'm not sure he will."

"Why not?" Alex put another plate in the heap, a delicate glass sound.

Maggie sighed, slowly soaping. "He… It's complicated. it's not going to happen, she doesn’t feel anything to him. I tried to explain that to him, how frail his situation could be, how self-conscious a person must be to understand what they really want."

Alex was silent, and in her silence she heard the request to continue.

"We don’t always know what's good for us. And in my experience, I mean, what I think, is that when you're in love with someone, you have to think more deeply about what causes this feeling, whether it's real, or maybe it's something that stems from a deeper need."

"What need?"

"To be loved by someone. Anyone."

"What's so bad about being in love?"

"If you're in love with someone who doesn't love you, who might never will, it's... it's just not healthy. It's not a big secret or anything, but some people forget that when they're in love. They convince themselves all kinds of things."

She handed Alex a bowl, their fingertips touching. For a second, she forgot that she was talking to Alex Danvers, the woman she was sure she had been in love with for a few weeks now. And about this sensitive issue, no less. She tried to breathe deeply, to think rationally.

She thought of herself as a rational person, in general. She could think before taking steps, calculating possibilities and consequences, standing with two feet on the ground, having a head on her shoulders. All the signs of the situation showed that falling in love with Alex was a bad decision, and that she should find someone else to fill this space, that need, otherwise it would be very difficult for her to continue to be around her, especially if they gonna work together.

But what she feels for Alex is really just infatuation and nothing more? Was it really due to Maggie's need to be loved? Or was there something deeper, something more complicated, that made her fall in love with Alex? Could Alex be a good match for her?

She didn’t know if these were delusions. Moreover, she was afraid to find the truth.

A quick glance at Alex showed her that she was listening, her brow constricted in the thinking. She raised her eyebrows, smiling gently.

"What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Alex rubbed the dry bowl. "Stuff."

Maggie was silent, realizing that Alex didn’t want to expose herself. They remained silent, only hearing the voices of Kara and Winn in the background.

"I went through a breakup."

Maggie was silent, nodding. Alex's voice changed somewhat, turning fragile at the edges. She hardly noticed.

“I thought she was… Well, we both thought, it was going to be something serious. But she was the one who... cut the rope. She said she doesn’t feel anything anymore.”

"How long you’ve been together?"

"Three years."

Maggie hummed something, encouraging her to go on.

"And you know, I mean, life goes on." Alex let out a bitter laugh. "It was a very difficult period for me, and in the end Kara told me I should change my attitude, change everything. She invited me to move here, to be closer to her, to start a new life."

"Do you feel it helps?"

"It starts to." She nodded, a delicate smile on her lips. "It's been a few months, and I feel better. And that's what made me think. About what you said." She put down the dry bowl, turning around to lean on the counter.

"I loved her. I really loved her, and I… I wanted to marry her, and I wanted everything. I thought I had it. I mean, I thought it was real. I promised myself that all of this was real. And then when she came and said it wasn't it, something in my head got... confused. Something there told me I made a mistake, that something was wrong." She looked directly at Maggie, squinting a little, as if she was stifling every trace of emotion as she spoke.

"You talk about the need to be loved, by anyone, but when you're already in a relationship, it's much more than that. Being with someone means you can’t just want to be with someone. It means that everything you two have together should be based on a deep, stable connection. That's what a real relationship is supposed to be. "

Maggie nodded. "And you're not sure you had it with her."

Alex shrugged. "I don’t know anymore. I thought I had, but after such a thing, how can one believe anything else?"

Maggie shook the last dish, taking it out of the sink. "You should have faith."

"Faith?"

"That you'll find someone new who will agree to stay when things look bad." She took the towel from Alex, wiping the dish in her hand. Alex's eyes were wet, but she didn’t cry. Maggie wondered how much willpower could be in a person that wouldn’t cry at any price.

"You have to try." Maggie paused. "At least that's what I think."

Alex bit the inside of her cheek, looking down. Maggie laid the dish carefully, moving closer to Alex. She gave her the opportunity to respond to a hug, if she’d want to.

“And that’s what I told Winn. When we want someone so desperately that we’re not willing to see anything else, it can blind us to the fact that perhaps this person is not exactly for us, even though we're convinced that they are. We can even have them and not see it, and then, it can hurt us even more. Love blinds us, and we can’t let it just…” She tried to think of a good image. "Run around the house and break all the furniture."

Alex snorted, sniffing. Maggie smiled at her, trying to cheer her up.

"That person, after all... maybe you two were right for each other, but this relationship just wasn’t for her. And that okay, things like that happen." She stopped for a moment. "You'll find someone, I promise." She added, placing a tentative hand on Alex's shoulder. "You're a great person."

Alex nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, Maggie."

She shook herself a little, maybe trying to shake off the weight of the conversation. She looked around, and at Maggie again. Maggie's hand was still on Alex's arm and she ran her thumb up and down in an almost imperceptible gesture. Alex's eyes met hers, and they stood there for a long moment, staring at each other. Maggie's hand on Alex's arm began to sting, and she slowly lowered her hand, taking it off. Alex's gaze- she could recognize despair in it, but still wonder- didn’t leave her, and she couldn’t make herself break away. A few seconds later, she wasn’t sure she wanted to, allowing herself to be devoted to these eyes, to this moment, in Alex’s presence, making everything around her drown.

"Mags?"

She turned sharply, putting her hands on the counter behind her. Winn and Kara looked at them, Winn with a mischievous smile, and Kara with a similar smile, but one she still couldn’t understand.

"Kara said she'd be happy for a drink."

"Of course, I'm sorry, that's- I mean, yes, of course!" She looked around, her gestures confused.

"Do you have any scotch?" Alex went to the pantry and pulled out a bottle, examining it. Maggie took out four glasses, approaching the table. Winn, from his sit, gave her a meaningful look, and she rolled her eyes back at him. They could talk without saying a word, and now it was necessary to be silent, and especially to be done with this dinner.

“Ohh, looks good!" Kara held out a glass. "Come on, Alex."

Alex poured for the four glasses, lifting her own. She looked at Maggie, smiling. “To Maggie, who hosted us, and for a wonderful meal."

Maggie just shook her head, smiling politely. Everyone clinked glasses, humming in agreement. Maggie sipped, seeing Alex watching her over her glass as she emptied her own.

She felt foggy, unsteady, hanging in the air, her body reacting too strongly to what was happening. She felt dependent on Alex, and on every move she made.

She got sucked in deeply, and she had no way to stop it.

*

The meetings continued, and with each session the conversation grew longer and deeper, and Maggie found herself sitting for hours with Alex in the teachers' lounge, with the booklet forgotten far behind. From time to time they brought in food and sat down to eat while working. The content of the conversations easily transferred from stories, anecdotes and jokes to a deep conversation about philosophy, mundane matters or an analysis of literary piece (by Maggie) or scientific explanations (Alex). They were able to jump almost too easily between topics, and seemed to be able to talk about almost everything.

"Wow," said Alex, tucking a last piece of brownies into her mouth. Maggie prepared them the day before to bring to the meeting. She smiled proudly, leaning back.

"I haven’t eaten such a delicious brownie in a long time. You’re a chef!”

Maggie waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a hobby. I just enjoy cooking and baking."

"You're doing it great." Alex licked her fingers, looking at the half-empty box. "Is it okay if I take them home?"

"Of course! I can give you the recipe if you want."

“Oh, no," Alex chuckled. "I'm a disaster in the kitchen. I just told Kelly a few days ago- "

She stopped, stammering. Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Kelly, the, uh..." Alex moved her hands in insecure movements, trying to make herself clear.

"I'm dating someone."

Maggie's brows rose even higher. Dating? but...

"Alex, that's great! I’m so happy for you," she forced a smile on her face, patting Alex's arm. Alex blushed, nodding.

"It's nothing serious. She knows Kara, and Kara introduced us, and..." Alex took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the brownie box in front of her. She raised her head slowly, meeting Maggie's eyes.

"I'm just trying to get back out there."

Maggie nodded understandingly, a gentle smile on her face. of course. Alex owes nothing to anyone, especially not to her. She hasn’t made a move yet, and even if she’s in love with her, it doesn’t give her the right to "save" Alex until she’s ready. Alex can go out with whoever she wants.

That doesn’t mean that Maggie can avoid feeling like someone has cut a hole in the middle of her stomach, and her intestines are now spilling out. She just kept nodding, finding it difficult to utter words. Her mind became a little hazy, and she tried to breathe deeply, as quietly as possible.

"So how is she?"

"She's nice. We only went out two or three times, nothing more." Alex shrugged. "Who knows what will happen."

Maggie widened her smile. "Well, I'm happy for you. That's exactly what you need to move on."

Alex looked at her, and her mouth made a strange gesture, as if she was stopping herself from saying something. She nodded back, agreeing with Maggie.

"Anyway, like I said, I'm a disaster in the kitchen. Just make them yourself and bring it to me, I'll eat them forever."

Maggie let out a giggle. "You got it."

They kept going through the booklet until the end of the meeting. Maggie knew that the school year would begin in a week or two, and the work with Alex was just about to begin. The relationship between the two was wonderful; She hadn’t felt so close to anyone since she met Winn, and she had no intention of giving up Alex for any reason.

So she has only one option- to stop being in love with Alex. Of course, it wasn’t a switch in her brain that could just be turned off, it was more than that. But Alex is dating other people. She’s trying to overcome a difficult breakup. The least she can do for her is to be there for her, as a friend, as a colleague, in her new beginning. Maggie has to try, otherwise... She might lose far more than she could have got.

"Let's finish this." Alex turned a page, picked up her pen. Maggie hurried to do the same.

Everyone finds someone eventually. She should find someone, too. Someone who will make her forget about Alex.

*

Winn rolled his eyes as Maggie burst out laughing.

"What’s the problem?"

"No."

"Winn-"

"I said no," he swept left on the screen, and a new photo appeared.

"How this one?"

Winn wrinkled his face. "I don’t know."

"Just sweep right already, I don’t care on who."

"It's exciting to see you so caring about my love life." He said in a monotonous voice, sweeping left again and again. She frowned.

"I have enough to worry about in my love life."

"Oh, yes. How’s the lesbian Danvers?"

"Dating."

Winn whistled low. "I’m sorry."

"It's okay, I guess. I didn’t want to hurt anything that might happen in this connection so I didn’t take a step, and now I’ve probably missed my chance." She fiddled with the beer bottle in her hands. "She’s... she just is not for me. Maybe I should go back out there myself."

"But how can you be sure? Just because nothing has happened between the two of you yet?"

"I'm happy about our relationship as it is. I would like to deepen the friendship, now that we work together, but I'm not sure that- I mean-”

"You want her, Maggie, it's crystal clear." He said, his voice a little tired. "Just because she's dating someone now doesn’t mean you won’t be a good match."

She was silent, and he put down his phone.

"All of us are trying to get over things. We’re all making an effort to cover our shit and we look for people to feel comfortable with. You and Alex, you have a special connection. You know each other for only two months, but from the very first moment you knew she was a person you could build something with, and you know that." He sighed, tapping his fingers on the table. “And maybe you’re right. Maybe we all just looking for is someone to feel close to, and our hearts are confusing us over and over and we’re making mistakes. But that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to try. That doesn’t mean that everything that happens in our heart should turn on red lights. Hearts break sometimes, but... you know, it's just part of it. Like everything else."

She bit her lip. He was right, of course. Not that it mattered now, Alex's already dating someone else. Who knows, maybe they'll date for a little while and decide that's it, and Maggie will stay outside before she even got to try. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking, while Winn continued to sweep people to the left on his app.

"Well, I can’t find anyone." He said after a few minutes of searching, putting down his phone. He leaned back beside her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Hey," he mumbled. "What are you thinking about?"

She was silent. "I can get her," she murmured finally. "One day I'll get her."

He gathered his knees to his chest. "Of course you’ll get her. I don’t get how she hasn’t fallen in your magic up to now.”

She shook her head, a slight laugh on her face. "I won’t force her to be with me, you know." She said quietly, unaware of his body that was slowly slipping into sleep. "But I have a feeling that something between us could be more than just friendship. A broken heart is no picnic, but... I don't know, I feel like she's worth it. Like you said." She glanced at him briefly, finding that his eyes were closed, his breathing soft.

"Even if I'm wrong, it doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to try."

Her heart let itself feel free again with her feelings for Alex, no guilt or fear, and the feeling never felt sweeter.

*

"Miss Sawyer!"

Maggie turned. Billy, his blond hair a little longer than the last time she saw him, ran to her quickly. She smiled at him, raising her hand to accept his high-five.

"How are you, Billy?"

"I'm fine!" He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, excited.

"How did you spend your vacation?"

"It was great! We went swimming with dolphins, and I ate a ton of ice cream, and-" He took a piece of paper out of his pocket, handed it to her. "I've read almost all the recommended books you've given us!"

"That's wonderful, Billy!" Maggie looked at the wrinkled paper, her heart full. "I'm so glad you had a great time. What's your next lesson?"

"Science," he said, in a tone that made her think he might have memorized his entire class schedule. "It’s our first science lesson ever! I can’t wait to meet the teacher. Someone said it's a new teacher!"

"She is." Maggie patted his head, ruffling his hair slightly. It was the first day of school, barely two hours passed before the first reminder of Alex's presence as part of the staff.

But she can’t fool herself- She can’t stop thinking about Alex from the moment she woke up this morning, wondering when she’ll meet her for the first time today. She even sent her "Good luck on the first day!" text and got a couple of smiling emojis back.

She began to wonder if that's what every day will look like, from now on.

"Miss Sawyer, do you know where the science class is?"

"Sure," she raised her head, looking down the hall. "Go straight to the end, and from there-"

"Turn right, second class on the left." Said a voice behind her. She turned. Alex stood there with a wide smile, a few books in her hands. Her smile was tense, but excited, and Maggie saw eagerness and even hope in it. She put a hand on Alex's shoulder, smiling back at her.

"Hey, I'm Miss Danvers, the new science teacher." Alex reached out, turning to Billy at eye level. "And you are?"

"I’m Billy Batson, miss," He said in a serious voice, his head raised. Alex exchanged an amused look with Maggie.

"Well, Billy, I understand you're in second grade, according to my schedule. I'm very excited to start teaching you!"

"What are we going to study, Miss Danvers?"

"All sorts of things," she winked at him, rising. "You’ll see."

His eyes widened with enthusiasm, and he jumped on his tiptoes. Alex laughed.

"Billy, can you go to a science class and wait for me there with the other kids? You can tell them I’ll be right there." Alex looked up from Billy to Maggie, her eyes a little softer.

"I have a few words to exchange with Miss Sawyer."

Billy nodded, jumping. "Goodbye, Miss Sawyer! See you, Miss Danvers!" He called, running away. Maggie looked after him, only to discover when he was gone that her heart beating wildly. Alex put her hand carefully on Maggie's shoulder, and she turned to her.

"Let's get in here, it looks like an empty classroom."

They went in, Alex closing the door behind her. Maggie grabbed the strap of her bag, trying to figure out what’s the matter from the expression on Alex's face. Alex just bit her lips thoughtfully.

"Alex, is everything alright?"

Alex nodded. "I’ve been thinking... a lot, you know." Her fingertips moved, as if she was playing something in an invisible, shapeless instrument.

"About?"

"About me. About what I'm doing here, what I'm trying to do."

"And what are you trying to do?"

“I’m trying to build my life again. To break away from everything I knew, from everything I thought I wanted, because as it turned out, I had built my life around something that wasn’t as steady as I thought. " She stopped for a moment, studying the empty, dusty classroom.

"I broke up with Kelly."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Maggie wasn’t really sorry, but she was respectful, polite.

"I don’t." Alex turned to her, her gaze calm. "She wasn’t someone I felt I could really be with, she had a tendency..." She shook her head. "It doesn’t matter. She wasn’t for me."

Maggie was silent, tilting her head to the side. Alex had a smile on her face as she looked at her, and she let out a laugh.

"What?"

"I love it when you do this. When you move your head like that."

Maggie's cheeks flushed red, and she let out an embarrassed laugh. "You'll have to be clearer, Alex, I really don’t understand what are y-"

"Do you want to go out with me?"

Maggie choked.

"Excuse me?"

"Go out with me. For a date. We could have some dinner, watch a movie... whatever you want." Alex seemed calm in a way Maggie couldn’t understand.

"I- what, what are you-"

"I told you I thought a lot about my life, and I found that I don’t have many friends right now. But I have you, and you're one of the most amazing, funny, wonderful people I've ever met." Alex approached her slowly, the calm, sincere smile still on her face. A smile that penetrated directly into Maggie's heart, making it vibrate.

"I don’t want to destroy anything between us, I'm taking a pretty crazy risk here, but I have a feeling that what I could get might be bigger than what I need to give up on."

"Funny," Maggie ran a hand behind her neck, shaking her head. "I was thinking the exact opposite."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

“What if it's a mistake?" Maggie's voice was desperate. Here's that opportunity she was waiting for, standing right in front of her, and she's having second thoughts. Fear, panic, the dread of everything that could go wrong wrapped her heart, and she tried to breathe deeply, to be as calm as Alex was right now. "What if all we do is because we can’t stop ourselves from wanting each other, and we end up losing each other as friends? "

Something in Alex's eyes softened further, when she realized Maggie did want her back. She moved closer, leaning on one of the tables. Maggie stood right in front of her, looking into her eyes.

She wanted to go on about how irresponsible, on both of them, to start a relationship. About how much they needed personal space right now, about their mental state, about a thousand and one things that might happen after a step like this. But Alex's eyes, as warm as she had seen them for the first time, and a slight bite of her lip, slowly but surely, made her forget everything. A few seconds later, she found herself believing wholeheartedly that they could overcome any obstacle, even those she thought they had no chance of. She shook her head, closing her eyes. The things Alex Danvers did to her.

"There's no reason to hold it in anymore," Alex shrugged. "If our relationship can be strong enough, it doesn’t matter what we throw at it."

"That," Maggie took another step, almost fully touching Alex now. "Sounds like a very bad idea."

"Really?" Alex's playful smile widened, and she reached out cautiously, resting a hand on Maggie's elbow. Maggie realized she was almost trembling, from fear or anticipation, she didn’t know. Alex took a deep breath as their faces drew closer and closer.

"I won’t hurt you." Maggie murmured. "But you have no way of knowing that this relationship is not destined for failure."

"It's okay." She heard her say, feeling her lips touching hers. Her eyes were closed, and she gave in it, letting herself forget everything while she stood in front of this touch of lips.

"Let's just try."

Their lips touched once, twice, a short, slow kiss passed between them. Another kiss, a little deeper, and Alex's hands groped at Maggie's waist, gathering her closer. Maggie put her hands on Alex's shoulders, moving them slowly to her neck, pulling closer, more, her mouth opened to deepen the kiss, all burning from the pain of lust to this woman, a loud, embarrassing sigh emanating from her throat-

"Stop."

Maggie broke off, panting. She blinked, putting her hand back on Alex's shoulder.

"You’re okay?"

"Yeah." Alex nodded, her hands still on Maggie's waist, and she slid them carefully, almost kneading them. "But it’s my first day at this school and I wouldn’t want to get caught up with another hot teacher in an empty classroom just before my first lesson."

Maggie blushed slightly at this, giggling. She nodded, pulling away a little.

"Sure, we have to go."

Alex shook her head, biting her lips again. "I was planning to ask you out and leave, and here you dragged me into a make-out session that could have deteriorate very quickly if I hadn’t stopped it in time."

"Are you complaining, miss Danvers?"

Alex's smile widened and she got up to the door. Her eyes didn’t leave Maggie, and her hand squeezed her arm, refusing to let go. "No. But, you know-"

"God, just go. We can talk later."

"Dating would be such a headache."

"Yeah, well. I hope you'll be worth it."

Another playful smile, a flash of light sparkling in Alex's eyes, and she left the classroom, her hand finally leaving Maggie’s.

Going out with Alex Danvers would really be a headache. Hide it from the kids to avoid teasing, go through all the HR papers, be able to keep herself from pushing her into a near closet and kiss her every time she sees her in the hallway... Maggie let out a laugh, then another, rubbing her eyes.

Going out with Alex Danvers is going to be worth it. She would take care of it personally.

*

Eight months later, Maggie, in a fancy suit she had never worn before, sits in a hall decorated in white and purple. She picks up her bottle of soda to drink another sip, looking at her new wife from the other side of the room, dances to a song she didn’t know its name. Their eyes meet, and Alex smiles, begins to make her way to Maggie.

"Dance with me."

Maggie can’t refuse. She gets up and kisses the new Miss Danvers-Sawyer's, letting her lead her through the crowd.

There’s nothing they can’t cope or deal with. She loves this woman with all her heart, and it seems like she loved her forever.

Trying, against all odds, wasn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! hope you liked it. If you did, make sure to leave kudos down below, or a comment to let me know what you thought!  
> i'm bilerleighs on twitter and bilerleigh on tumblr! come see me
> 
> Stole the kid's name from Shazam! and the school name from School Of Rock
> 
> The title is from 'sunflower' because I know how much ell loves sunflowers.........
> 
> Happy summer! Sanvers Endgame 💪🏼


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